`New Poor` Remain Despite Recovery

January 22, 1986|United Press International

WASHINGTON — Hunger, homelessness and poverty plague the nation`s cities and the ``new poor,`` created by the 1982 recession, have not gone away with economic recovery, the U.S. Conference of Mayors said Tuesday.

The conference released a new survey of 25 cities that also found that the demand for emergency food assistance and emergency shelters sharply increased in 1985 and there was little expectation any of that demand would decrease in the coming year.

``The demand for emergency food assistance increased during 1985 in all but one of the Task Force cities and is expected to continue to increase in all but three during 1986,`` the survey said, adding that on average, 17 percent of the demand for emergency food assistance goes unmet.

Overall increase in demand for emergency food was 28 percent, according to the survey, with only Detroit reporting the demand stayed the same.

In all but two of the 25 cities, officials reported the number of families with children requesting emergency food showed an overall increase of 30 percent, with Boston reporting a 65 percent increase, San Juan, Puerto Rico, reporting a 60 percent increase and 50 percent increases were reported by Hartford, Conn., Kansas City and Yonkers, N.Y.

``In none of the cities surveyed has the economic recovery lessened the problem of homelessness,`` the report said, and two cities -- Boston and Salt Lake City -- say the recovery has increased the problem.

``If anything,`` Boston officials wrote, ``the recovery has exacerbated the situation as the increased attractiveness of the city has tightened the housing market.``

Reflecting trends that began with the recession, 91 percent of the responding cities said the composition of their homeless population has changed in recent year.

``The most significant difference has been a growing number of families with children,`` the survey said, ``with 85 percent of the cities indicating an increase in this group.``

Denver, Detroit, Louisville and St. Paul all reported increases in two- parent families seeking emergency shelters and Boston officials said an average of 15 families become homeless every week in that city. Phoenix officials said families constitute the fastest-growing group among the homeless in that city.

Three cities -- Hartford, Minneapolis, and Nashville -- reported some easing of the plight of the ``new poor`` but others painted a bleaker picture and five -- Charleston, S.C., Chicago, Kansas City, San Antonio and Seattle -- said ``not only have their problems continued, but their numbers have increased.``

Overall, the report said that single men still comprise 60 percent of the homeless, 27 percent are families with children and 12 percent are single women. About 33 percent of the homeless are considered to be chronically mentally ill.

``In 88 percent of the cities, the demand for emergency shelter increased during 1985,`` the report said. ``The average increase was 25 percent. In none of the cities did the demand decrease`` although three -- Hartford, Minneapolis and San Antonio, Texas -- reported no change.

In over half the cities, some of those seeking shelter had to be turned away, the survey said, despite the fact that the overall number of shelters in the cities increased by almost half.